How To Protect The Ocean

Dr. Rebecca Helm wrote a great article on how we currently think about jellyfish and how we should think about jellyfish. You might be wondering what that sentence really meant. You will have to listen to find out. Link to Article: https://thecorrespondent.com/531/you-might-hate-jellyfish-but-almost-everything-in-the-ocean-depends-on-them-and-we-do-too/644824975212-4e7fdf9f Do you think we should...

There was a great news video on shark incidents on Reunion Island that showed the complexities of shark conservation when multiple ocean stakeholders are involved. The surfing community wants something done about the sharks, the environmentalists want to protect them and the government wants to appease everyone (but will probably make everyone mad at the same time).  Link to Article: https://www.f...

Mangrove conservation is a focus along coastal areas in tropical countries that would like to keep Carbon Dioxide in the ground. Mangrove forests keep more than 3 times the amount of CO2 in the ground when compared to terrestrial tropical forests. So Mangroves becomes a focus when we are doing everything we can to keep CO2 from getting into the atmosphere.  A study by a PEW Marine Fellow, Octavio...

Have you ever wondered why we only hear about shark finning when we discuss Shark Conservation? It seems to be the main narrative whenever you hear about Sharks and protecting them. However, there is more to Shark Conservation than finning. Dr. Catherine MacDonald and Dr. David Shiffman are here to discuss the ramifications of only talking about one conservation effort to protect Sharks. Check out...

Last week we celebrated the Ocean in epic fashion; however, this week I ask the question: what do we do now?! This year on Speak Up For The Ocean Blue, I am going to be focusing in on how to change our behaviours to live for a better Ocean. Check out the Podcast to find out more. What behaviour do you need to change so that you can live for a better Ocean? Share your thoughts in the Speak Up For B...

An article in Science Magazine (link below) shows how deep-sea bottom currents are concentrating microplastics in specific areas. Unfortunately, these areas are the same areas that are high in biodiversity. The biodiverse hot spots are diverse because of the same current systems that create the microplastic hot spots.  The bottom line is that we all need to reduce our plastic consumption.  Link to...

A race for the cure to end a global pandemic could affect populations of horseshoe crabs. How do horseshoe crabs tie into finding a vaccine you ask? Well, it's in their blood. The blue blood act as an indicator of the presence of contaminants during vaccine trials. The crab's blood will coagulate if there are enough contaminants. The problem is that in order to use the blood, you have to drain the...

The largest Atlantic US Marine Monument is now open for commercial fishing after the President of the United States signs an Executive Order to allow fishing to occur within the boundaries. There is a reason why this happened and it has to do with the manner in which the Monument was designated. Take a listen to the show to find out what I mean. Link to Article: https://news.yahoo.com/trump-expect...

Today is the day we celebrate the Ocean. I wanted to make sure you knew why the Ocean was so beautiful and spectacular that I invited our audience members to tell us why they loved the Ocean. There are 6 members of the audience that are on this episode to tell you about why they love the Ocean. Once we have the foundation of why we love the Ocean, we can find solutions to the challenges the Ocean...

Danni Washington is back on the show to discuss her upcoming involvement in the online virtual summit called EarthXOcean from June 9-12. The summit will be discussing solutions for four major challenges we face in the Ocean today: 1) High Seas; 2) Coral Reef Protection; 3) Ocean Plastic Solutions; and, 4) Sustainable Fishing.  Danni also discusses why she co-founded her organization Big Blue and Y...

We take a serious turn on today's podcast to speak out against the police brutality on the black community over the past few months as well as systematic racism in the Marine Science and Conservation field. I am honoured to have Danni Washington on today's episode to answer questions about how she feels about the Black Lives Matter Movement, her experience protesting in Los Angelos, and what we ne...

The movie Blackfish put the free orca campaign on a mainstream level and caused many things to change, such as the cancellation of orca shows and stopped the breeding program; however, what are we going to do with the Orcas in a small concrete tank. Lori Marino, a neuroscientist, has proposed an alternative that is backed by a dream team of scientists and advocates from all over the world.  Lori i...

The Canadian Government has implemented some new protective measures to protect the Southern Resident Orca Population off the coast of British Columbia. They implemented another distance measure as well as some more restrictions of fishing for Chinook Salmon, the Resident Populations favourite food.  I also make some other announcements on things that are going on around the world as well as some...

Viktoriya Hlamazda joins me on the podcast today to discuss how the Busselton Jetty in Southwestern Australia shifted to a digital platform dedicated to Marine Science and Conservation when the world was shut down over the past two months.  Links To Busselton Jetty: Website: https://www.busseltonjetty.com.au/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/busseltonjettyofficial/ Facebook: https://www.facebo...

The PEW Charitable Trust put out an article describing 10 of the highest biodiversity hot spots in the Ocean that we should protect. I describe why they are so important and what common characteristics in the Ocean give way to such highly diverse Ocean Areas. Link To Article: https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/reports/2020/03/a-path-to-creating-the-first-generation-of-high-seas-pro...

There is a huge problem within the International Fisheries industry and that is the rampant use of Fisheries Slaves. Fisheries slaves are often recruited by companies to go on distant-bound vessels who overwork their crew, underfeed them, and throw them overboard when they die or are close to dying due to inhumane working conditions.  The Indonesian government might institute a ban on their citize...

Imagine being a part of a research cruise where the team captures footage of a live deep-sea squid for only the second time EVER?! That's what my guest today can say that he did. Dr. Nathan Robinson is back on the podcast to discuss his joint venture with Dr. Edith Widder to develop a video camera that will be able to capture more footage of deep-sea squid in their natural habitat.  They are crowd...

There was a great article in Hakai Magazine about the ethics involving wildlife photography and videography. It covers people like Daniel Dietrich, who abides by ethical guidelines to protect nature and Ocean Ramsey, who doesn't do such a great job.  I had thoughts on it so I created an episode around the topic. Link to Article: https://www.hakaimagazine.com/features/when-photographers-get-too-clo...

Today's episode takes us down to the Antarctic waters of the Weddell Sea, where a recent study revealed a loss in benthos abundance occurred over the past 30 years...and not because of the reasons that you think.  Link To Article:   https://www.awi.de/en/about-us/service/press/press-release/benthos-in-the-antarctic-weddell-sea-in-decline.html Do you think the benthos will increase since the rapid...

I just wrapped up a course I was teaching for the Duke Executive Education program for the Nicholas School Of Environment. It was a great course with fantastic students! As I wrapped up the course, I was speaking with Claire and mentioned that the students who start a podcast on their own (independent of their work) will open themselves up for amazing opportunities down the line, similar to what h...

Jimmy Thomson is an environmental journalist, who wrote an interesting article about how Fisheries Observers off the Coast of BC are receiving threats about reporting the true numbers of fish they see being taken.  I invited Jimmy on the podcast to tell us some of the stories he was told by 11 Fisheries Observers and what they continue to go through while doing their jobs.  I wanted to have Jimmy...

I am proud to announce that we added another podcast to the Speak Up For Blue Podcast Network called Ocean Science Radio. The podcast is co-hosted by Andrew Kornblatt and Frances Farabaugh (Madame Curiosity and Dugongs & Seadragons), who bring you the latest ocean advances and information every month.  You can check out the podcast here: Apple Podcast: https://apple.co/3chJMfA Spotify: https://spo...

The time has finally come to celebrate the fact that there are now 1000 episodes on the Speak Up For The Ocean Blue Podcast!!!  I am so excited to talk about the past, the present and the future of the podcast and the Speak Up For Blue Podcast Network. When did you start listening to the Speak Up For The Ocean Blue Podcast? Share your thoughts in the Facebook Group: http://www.speakupforblue.com/g...

Earth Day is a time where we reflect on how humans can become more sustainable. It's a time where people and organizations release optimistic reports or awareness campaigns to get people thinking about the Earth; however, this year was a bit different. Michael Moore produced and released The Planet Of The Humans, a documentary that did the exact opposite of what Earth Day is supposed to do. It tri...

A new study has revealed that the Narwhal will be vulnerable in the future to climate change consequences of increased sea temperature and melting sea ice. The vulnerability comes after the study found low genetic diversity among the three populations of Narwhals.  Take a listen to the episode and read the article below to get more informed about the vulnerability of Narwhals.  Link to Article: ht...